Page 9 of Stone (Claimed and Protected #3)

P aris, France

Stone

“Hey, buddy. We need to stop meeting like this.”

I heard Kage’s voice first before I noticed him inside the bar. Laughing, I approached, noticing Maddox had also arrived. It looked like I was late to the party.

“Yeah, we do. How long has it been?” I joked. “Oh, yeah. Six months. How’s the new life?” I asked Maddox as I grinned. At least I’d managed to help him save the only woman who could put up with his sorry ass.

“Life is fantastic. The ranch is up and running. You should come see what we’ve done with the place.”

“I’ll take your word for it. I prefer every day being sunny and warm.” As soon as a waiter approached, I ordered a whiskey. At this point, one drink wasn’t going to make or break things.

“Hawaii. You lucky dog, you,” Kage said. He scanned the bar after the waiter had left, leaning in on the bar top table. “Is everything still a go?”

I’d spent a full eighteen hours immersed in learning everything I could about Matis Garnier and his operation as well as studying the layout of the man’s compound.

I pulled a copy of the blueprints from my jacket, spreading it across the table.

There was no one within earshot of where we stood, although I wasn’t worried about being overheard.

While I’d been privy to certain information thanks to the CIA, what had been provided didn’t solve a mystery I’d created in my mind.

Why Bradford’s daughter? There were plenty of other rich goons Matis could have easily set his sights on.

He had to know a sledgehammer would be brought down on his head since he was playing with the goddamn vice president of the freaking United States.

In my mind, all the pieces didn’t add up, but it wasn’t my dog and pony show.

“Locked and loaded,” I told them, meaning I’d brought enough weapons with me to start a war, Interpol providing the clearance I’d needed.

I’d flown in myself, the plane one of my first purchases.

“This is the layout. From what the infrared provided, it’s likely Daniella is being kept in this room.

Third floor at the end of a long corridor.

There’s an old tunnel system that might or might not be secured leading directly inside.

Otherwise, the place is wired for sound.

At least twelve guards provide security at all times. ”

“Twelve, huh?” Kage asked. “Four for each of us.”

“And more inside,” I added.

“Good enough odds,” Maddox teased.

Shrugging, I folded the paperwork as the waiter brought my whiskey. “We have no choice. We will rescue her.”

Maddox and Kage exchanged quick glances, Maddox leaning in. “You never got over Daniella.”

Both men had heard me talk about her on several occasions during the first couple of years.

Until the letters had stopped and she’d finally changed her number.

And until the one fateful call I’d regret for the rest of my life.

The loss of contact had nearly driven me into a tailspin.

I’d done my best to put the past behind me.

It seemed karma would prefer torturing me yet again.

“How could I?” She was the light to my darkness, something I would never forget.

“What happens when we rescue her?” Kage asked.

“I made arrangements for a safehouse. We’ll remain there until Interpol cleans up the mess. They’ll move in as soon as she’s in the clear.”

“What about the ransom? From what I read about Matis Garnier, he’s not a patient man.”

“No, he’s not,” I admitted. “While I wasn’t privy to details given my lack of clearance, from what I was told, arrangements have been made. The drop-off is supposed to occur in one hour. Matis likes to collect the money himself.”

“Which means as soon as the bag is in his hand, a call will be made to kill and dump her body.” Kage half laughed.

“Yep. Now we know our timeframe. Hopefully, they’ll catch the fucking bastard right then and there.” If not, I had half a mind to hunt him down myself.

Maddox lifted a single eyebrow. “What then, buddy? Assuming we’re successful.”

I took a long swallow of the whiskey before answering.

“Then I take her to DC for a reconciliation with her father. Remaining in Paris won’t be safe at least for the time being.

Then the two of you can return to your happy lives.

” In my mind, I’d failed her once. I would not do it again.

Did I sound jealous? Well, fuck, yes. Because I was.

There was no denying I’d been lonely or that the peace I’d fought so hard to achieve was crumbling around the edges.

Kage checked his watch. “One hour, gentlemen. One hour.”

Nodding, I twirled my glass as I thought about Dani for the umpteenth time in the last twenty-four hours.

What would she say to me? How would she react?

There was no way of knowing. What I did know was that time and distance changed everyone and often not for the better.

Dredging up old feelings wasn’t in our best interest. I had to shut down all emotions involved.

If I didn’t, I could quite possibly lose my fucking mind.

As expected, the compound was heavily armed. In the middle of nowhere, yet I noted security cameras on every corner of the building.

“Take a look,” I whispered and handed off the night vision binoculars to Kage.

He studied the exterior, whistling a few seconds later. “Yep. We have our hands full.”

“Thankfully, we have the tunnel,” I reminded them.

“That we have no clue if it’s collapsed or guarded,” Maddox snorted.

“There’s only one way of finding out.” As soon as Kage handed off the binoculars, I shoved them into my pocket and eased to my knees. “You ready, boys?”

“As ready as we’ll ever be,” Maddox admitted.

I laughed. It felt like old times.

Once upon a time, we’d been a tight formation.

Had there been issues, failed missions? Yes, some leaving hard feelings between us, but there was no denying the strong bond we shared, a connection stronger than felt with our blood relations.

The powerful draw was something we’d tried to forget, but had lost a part of ourselves in doing so.

There were no other people I’d rather fight alongside or to have my back. This was dangerous as fuck. Even if we were successful, there was no guarantee we’d make it out of the country alive.

That was because Matis’ popularity had swelled in the last six months in part due to the kidnapping and killing of what he’d called tyrannical opposition to freedom.

We moved through the darkness with tried-and-true precision, constantly scanning the area for any sign of Matis’ soldiers. Enough were skilled marksman that we needed to remain vigilant in the operation.

There were soldiers everywhere, all carrying assault rifles. From what I’d been told, Matis moved his operation on a regular basis to keep law enforcement from hindering their work. Why the fuckers hadn’t been captured and prosecuted before was beyond me and likely above my paygrade.

While I understood the issues with the situation given Bradford Vale’s employment status, I was still baffled by why I’d been chosen over currently operating military operators.

I pointed to the tunnel’s entrance while performing a three-hundred-sixty-five-degree scan.

There was no one in sight and that was as unnerving as if we were currently under attack.

We continued to move in formation as we neared the concrete entrance. Natural debris had blocked the opening decades before and it took several minutes to free enough room to slide through.

The clock was ticking.

Once inside, headlamps were turned on. We shuffled through muck and slime as we made our way to the area where the schematics had indicated a breach into the building.

As we raced through, my thoughts remained on Dani.

I’d wondered if she’d managed to convince her father to allow her to accept her admittance into the college in London.

Maybe so. She’d told me more than once that her dream was to head to Paris where her muse would be constantly tantalized.

A word she’d adored using.

She’d once drawn me a picture of the two of us. I had one in a box somewhere but pulling it out and remembering had been and would still be too painful.

“Did you hear that?” Kage asked gruffly while keeping his voice low.

We stopped moving, shifting to ensure we weren’t being followed.

There was a sudden electric surge. “Incoming,” I snarled.

Boots on the ground were heard seconds later as a group of soldiers ran toward us. There was no time to waste. We rushed forward, firing indiscriminately.

“Go. Go. Go!” Maddox called as he shot a man at close range. The fuckers kept coming.

A flash drew my attention. I dropped and rolled, firing off in rapid succession. “Kage. Look out!”

Kage turned just in time, smashing his rifle against one man, immediately spinning and eliminating another.

There were eight down, but I knew there were more. If I had to guess, I’d say the intel we’d been provided was wrong. We rushed forward, reaching the opening seconds later.

Pop! Pop! Pop!

Rounds of gunfire ensued, more people dropping. Maddox shoved me out of the way just before I was shot.

With more light in the building, it was easier to see what the fuck we were doing. Yet shadows were everywhere.

Four more were down. We kept going, racing up two flights of stairs.

“Look out!” Kage yelled.

I reacted instantly, kicking the gunman in the gut. As he toppled backward, his back hitting the metal railing, I issued another brutal kick. He went flying over the railing, crashing into the concrete floor below.

The end of the hallway was in sight. I powered in front, running at full speed while shifting the rifle back and forth.

Pop! Pop! Pop!

Three more came at us.

Three more went down.

“Fuck!” Kage snarled as he was pitched against the wall, immediately grabbing his shoulder.

“You’re hit,” I snarled.

“Flesh wound. Go!”